This week we focused on the Directing side of film production. We were in charge of allocating roles amongst our group. I wanted to experiment with a shot that I have seen in the film ‘The Judge’. The shot in the film was filmed wider, with an emphasis on the mis-en-scene. As we were filming in RMIT I wanted to tighten the shot but still use the same principle.

I set up an actor in the back ground and then an actor in the foreground. The background character says their first line and then we change focus to the foreground character for their response. The background character says their second line and then they exit the frame (out of focus). The idea was capturing dialogue and a response in the same frame without having to cut to a different shot. There were a few issues with attempting this technique – We had to spread the actors out far away from the camera and each other in order to achieve a narrow depth of field. Initially the camera was too close causing a wide depth of field. I determined that creating a greater distance between the camera and the actors, would allow for a narrower depth of field. It took a bit of adjusting but Angus did a great job at pulling off this shot.

I enjoyed this exercise as it allowed me to have the reigns with how I want to shoot the sequence/shot. Usually, I tend fall back and reaffirm ideas and techniques with the group. Assigning everyone distinct roles also gave momentum to the task as they focused only on what their job was. This was more efficient and we covered way more shots (that were far more complicated) than we did shooting the sequence last week.

Epiphany: 

I have a better understanding of what the course is highlighting. I thought that we were focusing on individual scenes without the context of a larger film. I am now aware that each scene we study doesn’t have to fall on its own; it can be apart of something bigger. It seems quite obvious now that I think of it – ‘A SCENE in CINEMA’. I now feel as though I have more breadth when it comes to my final scene that I produce for my final assessment.

Leave the audience wondering, searching for greater meaning!

I am looking forward to feedback on the directing task as well as working with our group again. They are a talented bunch!

Until next time… Sarah.